This Summer...

This summer has been a whirlwind. Starting with that glorious day in May. The 27th to be exact. I became a wife to my charming, kind and loving husband. We had a dream wedding. I loved every minute of it. I wasn't nervous at all--everything felt so right. Surrounded by family and close friends; sharing the most magical moment ever with my love. What could be better?

Immediately following the wedding, reception and brunch (the next morning) we jetted off to our amazing honeymoon in London and Paris! It was like our dream was on auto pilot. We fit right in with the Londoners--traveled everywhere on the Underground, had afternoon tea, saw all the sights and even caught a movie. We rented an apartment in the Chelsea neighborhood and fell in love with the area. We would highly recommend staying in Chelsea--the location was perfect and the area was filled with history, yet very modern. A perfect mix. 

At first, I was sad that the CCTV camera blocked my shot of Big Ben, but later I decided it was a good representation of the city. CCTV cameras are everywhere! I guess we became so used to seeing them that I didn't even notice it in this shot. 

The best thing about being in London this summer? The Queen's Jubilee! We had planned our trip perfectly--and really, we didn't even realize that the gravity of the festivities until we arrived. There were parades and parties in the street, cake baking contests and even a concert and fireworks show at Buckingham Palace--which we watched from our apartment window! It was truly unbelievable and something that I am pretty sure I won't ever be able to duplicate. This picture above is one of the street parties we attended--just outside Parliament. 

In the middle of our London adventures, we took a short hop over to Paris, where we spent 3 days eating crepes, walking around taking in the sights, seeing the Mona Lisa and going to Disneyland Paris! Yes--thats right--Euro Disney! A caveat--if you plan to visit anytime soon be prepared--the rides are like the US versions, but on roids. Very adult and sometimes, to me, scary. Worth a trip if you have a day to kill though. 

Once home, our travels continued. In July, we took a long weekend cruise to Mexico. This was very last minute and a screaming deal. It was our first cruise for both of us and it didn't disappoint. We ate pretty much 24/7 and lounged all day. The stop over in Mexico was just okay--not much to do, but we did disembark to get the whole experience. 

Then, in August came our long awaited DisneyWorld/ Star Wars Celebration trip to Florida. We had been planning this trip since the middle of 2012 and we were both very anxious to go. Dan because he loves all things Disney and Star Wars and me because I had never been to a Celebration or Disneyworld. 

I thought that DisneyWorld was pretty cool. It is actually 4 parks--The Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot and Hollywood Studios--but most of you know that, I'm sure. I loved them all--Magic Kingdom being my favorite, but Animal Kingdom was a close second. Epcot's World Showcase was a nice change from the typical amusement park experience--and I ate more soft pretzels in "Germany" than I really care to say. 

After surviving the heat and humidity of DisneyWorld, we moved to downtown Orlando for Star Wars Celebration. It was indoors and my first time visiting, so I was pretty excited. We ended up spending a lot of time at the panel sessions, but we had our fair share of "floor time" too-- visiting vendor tables and getting autographs in the main convention center. I really had fun--I wasn't sure that I would fit in so well--I like Star Wars, but my husband REALLY likes Star Wars. He understands all the jokes, satire and can appreciate the collectibles much better than I can. Still, I loved it and most of all, I loved sharing this new experience together. 

See this incredible view? It was taken from the back steps of my Uncle and Aunt's home in Wisconsin! It is so beautiful. Shortly after our Florida trip we traveled to Wisconsin for my cousin's wedding, held in this very backyard. It was such a perfect setting and she was a beautiful bride. I was so happy to show Wisconsin to my husband and share this wonderful family event together. Congrats Amy and Jason!

Phew. That is just about it...almost. :) We have one last trip of the summer to visit my parents in California. We are so excited--this is probably our favorite place to visit. The town they live in so quaint and pretty--we have such lazy days there and at the beach, which is just a short 10 minute drive away. On this trip, we'll be doing some new things too--which we're excited about. Dinner at one of my parent's fav places in a town we've never visited and a cute stage show production near their home. It will be a great weekend!

I hope your summer was as exciting and fun as ours was. Make no mistake, we don't plan to have a summer like this one again soon--so we took full advantage now. As my sister says--YOLO! (you only live once)